'Huskers lose top freshman

The Associated Press

Aug 11, 2017

LINCOLN, Neb. — Nebraska has lost promising freshman Jaevon McQuitty to a season-ending knee injury and two other receivers have missed practice time, blows to a position that already was a concern entering the season.

Coach Mike Riley said Thursday that McQuitty was hurt during a blocking drill this week. Riley said Keyan Williams had a “good hamstring pull” and would miss two weeks. JD Spielman is day-to-day with a pulled muscle.

The Cornhuskers lost three of their top four receivers from 2016. Stanley Morgan Jr. and De’Mornay Pierson-El combined for 53 catches and are the top returnees. No other receiver had more than five receptions.

McQuitty, the top-ranked high school player in Missouri coming out of last season, enrolled in January and was competing for playing time this season.

“For a true freshman who has been here for a short time, I was really pleased with how he was progressing,” Offensive Coordinator Danny Langsdorf said. “I didn’t think he was going to go in there and start, but he was in the conversation of playing. That’s unfortunate. We’ll have to hope for the best and get him back quickly. He was having a good camp.”

Spielman and Williams are the top two slot receivers. Spielman redshirted in 2016 and was the scout team’s most valuable player on offense. Williams sat out last year after transferring from Fresno State.

Youngstown player to sit out

COLUMBUS, Ohio — A man convicted of rape as a teen in a case that drew international attention will be part of the Youngstown State football team this year but won’t be allowed to play in any games, the school said Wednesday in responding to criticism surrounding his participation.

Ma’Lik Richmond served about 10 months in a juvenile lockup after being convicted with another Steubenville High School football player of raping a 16-year-old girl during an alcohol-fueled party in 2012. The case brought international attention to the eastern Ohio city of 18,000 and led to allegations of a cover-up to protect the football team.

Richmond, now 21, will be a member of the team at Youngstown State, a Football Championship Subdivision school in northeastern Ohio, but will forfeit a year of participation, the school said in a statement.

“He will be given the opportunity to benefit from group participation, the lessons of hard work and discipline, as well as the camaraderie and guidance of the staff and teammates,” the statement said.

The school said Richmond participated in spring practice and earned a spot on the roster as a walk-on. Youngstown State coach Bo Pelini told The Vindicator in Youngstown that he had sought out Richmond, a linebacker, after learning the young man was already attending the school.

Richmond last played football at Steubenville in 2014 after serving his prison sentence.

Pelini said he met with Richmond and educated himself about the case before deciding that he deserved a chance to play.

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